No healthy food in the house/have no motivation?

Options
miissnessa
miissnessa Posts: 43 Member
edited January 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm having struggles losing weight and keeping to a food plan because there's no food in the house. I don't have a job therefore I have no income coming in to where I can go out and buy groceries that I know I need that is healthy for me. The food that's in the house comes from food banks my dad goes to which is all free so whatever they give you is what you get. Most of that is bread, pastries, canned goods and food that I cannot eat nor would I be able to work with to lose weight. I'm trying to find different foods I can work with in the house or eat less of things but I feel like because of not having the right food I want in the house my inspiration to lose weight is gone. I also should mention my dad /hates/ spending money especially on me so if I ask him to buy me food I need he will say no or he would buy it but eat it on me. I feel hopeless. He always gets coupons for fast food and gets me that. Today I had a whopper from Burger King that has 670 calories! I logged my food and I'm already over my limit and I haven't even ate dinner yet! I don't know what I can do. Is there anything I can do to fix this? I really need to lose this weight it's been dragging me down for years. I just want 2015 to be my year but it's so hard when you have no inspiration :(

Replies

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Options
    You can eat anything you like as long as you stay within your calories. It sounds like you don't have any other choice atm but to do this :(
    Good luck to you and your family. Hopefully things pick up for you soon xx
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Options
    Eat what you have just less of it. You don't need special diet food. You are making it more complicated than it should be :)
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Options
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Eat what you have just less of it. You don't need special diet food. You are making it more complicated than it should be :)

    very true

  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Options
    There's no such thing as "the right food." There's just food.
  • YorriaRaine
    YorriaRaine Posts: 370 Member
    Options
    You can lose weight on the things they give you by counting the calories. If you have atleast "some" money, you can buy fruits and veggies about to go bad for really cheap typically and then just freeze what you won't use right away. Certain meats you can find in bulk on-sale (like chicken breast), and you can portion it out further by cutting them in half before freezing them.

    If you truly do not have any money to spend on the fruits and veggies or meats, simply try counting the calories of the things you have and the weight will go off.

    Similarly, if you have the space, gardening can be a cheap alternative to buying fruits and veggies then you can simply freeze some things to use throughout the year.
  • CADAVER0USB0N3S
    CADAVER0USB0N3S Posts: 41 Member
    Options
    Can you go with him to the food bank and see if they have more canned veggies/fruits you might be able to get? Sometimes churches also have food and some food banks provide meat/milk products too. Frozen fruits and veggies are also super cheap and you can even get them at the dollar store if you have ANY money or if he would be willing to buy you that really cheap stuff? You can always EXERCISE to burn off extra calories... measure and weigh the food out too so you know exactly what portion you are eating.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    Options
    Its all about calories in vs calories out.
    Eat less of the so called "unhealthy" food and you will lose weight Log everything here and like that a Burger King whopper...eat half of it. It is hard, but not impossible.

    If you want it bad enough you can do it.
  • Blueseraphchaos
    Blueseraphchaos Posts: 843 Member
    Options
    One way to cut the calories of fast food but not really lose any of the satiation is to eat the sandwich with half the bun or no bun (grab a fork!). I work at McDonald's and on the rare occasion i eat the food, that's what i do. (Not like they pay me enough to afford their food even at the discount i get ;p)

    Food banks often give you canned veggies, which are a decent option. You can look at what you have in the house, plan 4 small meals around it (or 2 big, or however you eat), pre-log it, and try to make sure you have enough food in your log that you feel sated and won't be starving at the end of the night.

    You definitely don't need any special food to lose weight. If the real problem is that you eat what you have and you're starving at the end of the night, you can try pre-logging, or raising you calorie limit and losing weight a bit more slowly. There's nothing wrong with losing weight more slowly than you'd like, since most people want to lose as much weight as possible as quickly as possible (and sometimes unrealistically).

    Exercise will help as well. Good luck!
  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
    Options
    It says in your profile that you are 21. If you can get a job you'd be able to buy the food you wish to eat.
  • netite
    netite Posts: 17 Member
    Options
    Our Safeway has a section in the meat department where they put the clearance items that are 30 to 50% off. A roast at 50% percent off may cost $5 to $10 and seem like a lot of money, but you can stretch that a long way if you are creative. There is also a section in the deli where you can find half price items. But if you cannot find any extra money I agree with the posters above, use what you have. A positive attitude will also go a long way toward your good health.

    You can eat the Whopper, just eat half and save the other half for dinner. You can do this! :)
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    Options
    This : "I have no income coming in to where I can go out and buy groceries that I know I need that is healthy for me. 

    Plus this: "Today I had a whopper from Burger King"

    Equals: "Me shaking my head..."



  • sodakat
    sodakat Posts: 1,126 Member
    Options
    Rough one. Is this temporary (will you be able to get a job soon)? If so, do the best you can with the food that is provided for you.

    If not, you need to come up with a plan for your life, not just how you are eating.

    I wonder if you would qualify for food stamps yourself. That way you could buy your own food. Worth a phone call I think.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Options
    MysticRealm wrote: »
    It says in your profile that you are 21. If you can get a job you'd be able to buy the food you wish to eat.

    This


    SergeantSausage wrote: »
    This : "I have no income coming in to where I can go out and buy groceries that I know I need that is healthy for me. 

    Plus this: "Today I had a whopper from Burger King"

    Equals: "Me shaking my head..."



    And this....

  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    Options
    It's rough when you're low on cash, but you can lose weight eating any time of food. You don't have to eat healthy food to lose weight.

    I hope you're able to find a job soon. Hang in there!
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 874 Member
    Options
    First, hang in there are try not to kick yourself.

    You are in a really stressful situation. Stress causes us to eat more and yearn for carbs, fats, and salty foods. Read some of the forums and may people fall off their good habits because of a family emergency or other real heavy stressor.

    Getting good nutrition at a food bank - been there, done that, and not so long ago.

    Ironically, I saw the same choices made at the food bank as are made at the supermarket. People often go first for the sweets and luxuries, and go for any greens last. I used to go for the leafy greens first and often scored massive amounts of kale and collards, really good stuff.

    What do you consider healthy food that you *need* to get? Fresh veggies, gogi berries, protein powders, almond milk, coconut oil, and salmon?

    Feh.

    We need enough calories to live and a reasonable mix of carbs, proteins, and fats over a week. *How* we consume them does not matter from a survival point of view. It does not have to be perfectly optimal every day. It has to be good enough over a period of time.

    We also benefit from a feeling of fullness. Yes, the food banks often have an overload of bread and pastries. The local supermarkets have to get rid of huge amounts of almost-stale baked goods each evening. That stuff is not filling and I can eat lots of bread or donuts without feeling full. It is very easy to take in large amounts of calories with those pastries and still want more.

    The canned things are usually peanut butter, beans and other vegetables. They can be filling and canned vegetables really do have decent nutrition.

    Meat and dairy protein at a food bank is nearly non-existent but if you get a Whopper every other day, that is a 1/4 pound of beef. Have the whole thing. If they leave off the mayo and sauce and do not butter the bun, it become very reasonable. I occasionally get a value sized double-burger at McD's and make it fairly healthy by refusing the cheese and other toppings.




Categories